The Role of Evaluation in Mental Health

Abstract

Mental health evaluation is reviewed as a specialized branch of the field program evaluation. Historical influences on the field, current issues and techniques, and unique role requirements for the mental health evaluator are presented in a detailed review of the literature. Role demands and specific evaluation methods are described in relation to several actual and potential evaluator roles, including information monitor, summative judge of program worth, formative collaborator in program development, and change agent. Techniques reviewed include outcome measurement, goal-attainment scaling, cost- analytic procedures, epidemiology, ecological approaches, information systems, systems analysis, and peer review. The adoption of metaevaluation procedures to improve the utility of mental health evaluation efforts is advocated.